Granby Memorial High School

School Information

School Name: Granby Memorial High School
School Address:  315 Salmon Brook Street, Granby, CT 06035
School Phone:  (860) 844-3014
School Fax:  (860) 844-3026
Principal:  James Bowe
Principal E-Mail:  bowej@granby.k12.ct.us

Demographics

Number of Students:  746
Number eligible for Free and Reduced Lunch:   2%
Percent of Limited English Proficient:  .26%
Percent of Special Education:  6.3%
Racial/Ethnic Percentages:

• White  93.9%
• Black  3.08%
• Hispanic  1.87%
• Asian/Pacific Island  .94%
• Other  .13%

Student Achievement Data

 

% Proficient on the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (school/state)
Year	Math	Science	Reading	Writing
2003	89.2	91	90.5	94.2
2006	94.3	99	92.8	94.3
2008	93.9/79.7	97.8/80.5	96.1/82.7	94.4/88.2

SAT (school/state/nation)
Year	Verbal	Critical Reading	Math	Writing	Total
2003	531		537		1068
2006	554/517/508		549/517/520		1103
2008	539	539/509/502	542/513/515	536/513/494	1617

Please feel free to comment on any aspect of the data that you feel is particularly significant.

Students at Granby Memorial High School perform at a high level. Performance Test (CAPT) scores for students scoring at the proficient level and goal levels have increased steadily over the past five years. Since 2003, the percent of students at or above proficient has risen significantly. Math has risen from 89% to 94%, Science has increased from 91% to 97.8%, Reading Across the Disciplines from 92.8% to 96.1%, and Writing Across the Disciplines from 94.3% to 94.4%.

As the Scholastic Aptitude Test Scores have improved, so have participation rates. In the past five years the participation rates of the senior class have risen from 83% to 89%.

Students continue to perform at high levels on the Advanced Placement Exams. Enrollment, the number of tests offered, and student achievement continue to grow. In 2006, 139 students took AP exams. In 2008, 151 students took 14 different AP exams and 83% scored a three or better.

Please present any additional information that indicates your efforts to build a professional learning community have had a positive impact upon students and/or teachers.

As student achievement continues to increase, our PLC continues to develop and strengthen serving as the impetus for other school improvement initiatives such as expanded privileges for students, open course enrollment (including AP), and heterogeneous grouping.

The commitment of the staff to function as a PLC has been the single most influential factor in the school’s continued success. The simple, yet profound shift of changing our teaching and school practices to a student learning perspective rather than teachers’ teaching has been instrumental in aligning our structures and practices to those of a continuous professional learning community. Working with a common language, shared knowledge, and vision for the school community have been essential for cultivating understanding and support. Celebrating small successes have in turn generated more successes, which in turn continue to build school pride, ownership, and even more momentum. As a result, even more good things are happening at our school. Our teachers collaborate, plan and learn regularly with the teachers from our sister school, Bloomfield High School. Since each school educates a different demographic, the professional learning communities from both school gain a great deal of knowledge to share with their respective student bodies to help improve student learning and achievement. Peer sharing among our staff allows teachers the opportunity to observe their colleagues on a regular basis followed up by meeting and discussion. The Technology and Career Fair for our non-college bound students exposes them to opportunities and career paths available for them to pursue after high school. In August of 2008 we implemented our Freshman Orientation Program prior to school opening. It was very successful. Our Developmental Guidance Program which provides our students with the resources and support (in addition to our guidance counselor model) to take ownership in their educational planning beginning immediately in 9th grade will be implemented in September of 2008.

Please elaborate upon strategies you have found to be effective in any of the following areas:

1. Monitoring student learning on a timely basis.

The monitoring of student learning and achievement is now embraced by the faculty as a common and essential practice and a necessary characteristic of our school as it functions as a PLC. Monitoring takes place as part of the common assessment process, the PLC team SMART goals, Freshman Team, Tenth Grade Team, and Guidance. Our PLC teams continue to progress in their use of technology and software to analyze the results of common assessments in order to inform instruction. The use of software allows the teams to be more timely, efficient, and effective in making decisions based on data.

2. Creating systems of intervention to provide students with additional time and support for learning.

Major shifts in this area include the expansion of interventions, and the directive nature of interventions.

Expansion – Any school functioning as a PLC must develop, over time, strong interventions. Examples in our school include, but are not limited to, the use of homework club, Saturday classes, tutors for math and language arts, student tutors, mentoring, a pyramid of interventions, additional reading classes, Student Assistance Team, Freshman Team, Tenth Grade Team, Response to Intervention program (RTI), and a Learning Center. Any school has the ability to start with limited resources and then through creativity and financial support, begin to develop responsive services to students.

The Learning Center, while a simple concept, serves as an example of how a school can utilize a space and staff duty time. At GMHS, the Learning Center is an intervention that is available for all students. It is located on the top floor of the Media Center and it’s a place where students of all abilities (honors, academic, special education) can go, or be assigned to go, for extra help from their teachers. There is no stigma attached to it. Simply, teachers from each discipline are available to help students (academically) every period. It also houses a Testing Center and a place for tutors to work with students.

Directive Interventions – Over the years, interventions have become much more directive in nature. As an example, attendance at the Learning Center is now a requirement for some students as well as a choice for others. Interventions are also services that we implement during the school day. PLC teams, classroom teachers, and departments share in that responsibility along with our social worker, guidance, administration, the Freshman Team and the Tenth Grade Team as well as other support services.

3. Building the capacity of teachers to work as members of high performing collaborative teams who focus the efforts of their team on improved learning for students.

As part of the school’s commitment to implementing the principles of a PLC the school instituted a one hour weekly late arrival at the start of the day every Thursday morning to provide teachers with time to collaborate on student learning. This weekly time provides all teachers with the time to share student work, develop and discuss common assessments / results, and align curricular and instructional practices. All teachers are involved and are members of collaborative teams that are designed around shared students. Teams utilize SMART (Strategic, Measurable, Attainable, Results Oriented, Timebound) goals to guide their work. Regular administrative feedback is part of the process and the administration regularly takes part in PLC team meetings.

List any Awards and Recognition Garnered by Your School

Granby Memorial High School was the first public high school in the state of Connecticut to be recognized by the Connecticut State Department of Education as 2006 Connecticut Vanguard High Performing School. The Vanguard Schools program identifies and recognizes schools that exhibit high student achievement and evidence of best instructional practices.

The school has been profiled in a variety of publications for its accomplishments and practices including the 2005 and 2006 Connecticut Association of Schools Professional Studies Monographs, the November 2006 edition of Connecticut Magazine, the #2 ranking for education among small towns in CT (Connecticut Magazine 2008), and the November Edition of the Connecticut Education Advisor.

Granby Memorial High School administration and teachers regularly present at local, state, and national conferences on the topic of professional learning communities and school improvement.

GMHS was a host site for the 2005 National PLC Summer Institute.

GMHS has been recognized for two consecutive years for its high level of student participation in the state of CT Governor’s Reading Program.

Students from GMHS placed 1st and 10th in the nation in the National French Competition this past year.